The Chronicles of Astrid: Book 2:The Great Journey
by Real Live Fishlegs
Summary: The second book in my hopeful series :D Lots of HiccupXAstrid and FishlegsXRuffnut. The first chapter sorta drags, but it's gonna lead to something cool I hope. Enjoy, God bless! :
1. Chapter 1: A Surprise for Astrid

The Great Journey

Prologue:

No matter how many times a man saves the world, it will always get back into trouble. A new threat rises and challenges the world along with the relationship between Astrid and Hiccup. When Hiccup is kidnapped by this dark force of discord, Matthias has no choice but to ask for help from his arch rival, whom he accidentally stumbles upon in this desperate situation. Together the gang will embark on a journey such as man has never seen or dreamed of before. Ancient evils, new allies, mythical creatures, and measurably more await these teenagers. Things become complicated when the kids discover this tracker they have allied themselves with has a shadowy past. They have no choice but to trust him, it's the only way Hiccup can be found and brought back to Berk. Can this evil be stopped? Can this crafty competitor even be trusted? Only one way to find out.

Chapter 1: A Surprise for Astrid

The morning came as Hiccup slowly peeled open his eyelids. He sat up and looked around the room to see if the coast was clear. 'Not a soul in sight.' he thought, "tiptoeing" his way to the door. 'See? No problems, just make sure that she isn't coming this- oof!' Hiccup's face buried itself into the floor, he had tripped over Toothless's tail. The Night Fury woke up to see his master lying face down with his hand under his chin.

"Hey buddy," Hiccup mumbled sarcastically, "Trying to make sure I don't leave the house aren't you?" The dragon nodded humorously and let out a light grunt. "Toothless it's Astrid's birthday today, and I want to do something special. You understand right?" Toothless just stared, indicating that he was indifferent to that sort of thing. "Uh, never mind. Anyway, I know just the kind of gift for her. There's this rare, beautiful flower that grows near Raven's Point called the Black Geranium. I know black seems like a dull color for a flower, but when the sun hits them just right, they shine a bright blue lined with gold. I've already made her something to wear, I just wanted to sew a couple of those flowers onto it to give it a nice touch. I don't know, what do you think?" Hiccup held up a drawing of the dress he had made.

Toothless faked a smile to show his approval. Hiccup felt like dancing at that moment, but his joy was averted by a knock on the door. Hiccup panicked and immediately hid the drawing, then proceeded to answer the door. To his surprise, and his horrors, it was none other than Astrid.

"Hey Hiccup," she smiled, "What's up?"

Hiccup skittishly staggered backwards at the sight of the raving beauty, "Um, hi- Astrid, hi- Astrid- hi Astrid. Hello, um, how are you on this fine day?"

"Hiccup, are you okay? Remember it's just me."

"Of course I'm okay, I'm just- just- happy to see you! It's nice to have you here."

"Oh, okay. Are you going to be ready for tonight?"

"Tonight? Um, you mean like tonight tonight? Or like tomorrow tonight?" An intense blush flooded his face. He had forgotten tonight was their first date.

Astrid smiled and tried to stifle a giggle, "You know what I mean, silly." She leaned towards him, preparing to give Hiccup a kiss.

Hiccup backed away, "Wow, look, it's almost time for your bath Toothless." The dragon's eyes widened as he growled.

Astrid raised her brow, "Hiccup you're acting really weird, what's wrong?"

"Oh nothing, I've just been flowering-er- thinking a lot lately."

"Oh, I see, in that case you better get back to your thinking." She winked at him and started to leave, only to quickly turn back, "Hiccup?"

"Yeah?" He slumped seeing his surprise was spoiled.

"I like Black Geraniums." She smiled and went out the door.

Hiccup leaped into the air, "Yes! She found out!" Toothless looked at him with a confused stare. "You see, she thinks I'm just getting her flowers, but she has no clue about the dress!" The Night Fury continued to stare at him. "Oh come on! I was joking about the whole bath thing!" Hiccup gathered his things and set out to find his trusted friend Fishlegs.

Meanwhile Ruffnut was sitting in her room staring at herself in the mirror. She gripped one of her blonde braids and held it up to look at it thoroughly. She huffed angrily at the sight of her hair. 'He'll never like this' she thought, 'There's got to be something I can do!' She grabbed the knife on the table next to her and began to get to work. She started by cutting the cords that bound her hair into braided bundles, letting all her long locks loose. The only problem was the fact that she had never cut her hair, so she had no idea how to trim it neatly. On top of that, her hair was so long that it went all the way down to her feet.

"Ruffnut?" a voice asked behind her. She screamed as she turned around and fell to the floor. It was Hiccup, who had a very surprised look on his face. "Is that you?"

The Thorston girl tried to hide her nervous breakdown, "Of course it's me! Who'd you think it was?"

The boy shrugged, "Honestly I don't know, but that's a nice head of hair you have."

Ruffnut blushed a deep red from Hiccup's compliment. "You really think so?"

Hiccup laughed softly in agreement, "Of course, Fishlegs would love to see this side of you. Well, that is, if you can ever get him to notice."

Ruffnut gruffly hid her smile, "What do I care if Fishlegs likes my hair or not?"

Hiccup gave an apologetic look and started for the door, when suddenly he turned back towards Ruffnut as a clever smile crept across his face, "He doesn't like your hair, he likes you." The girl blushed even more after Hiccup went out.

That was when Ruffnut had a spark of genius. She grabbed a bunch of ointments, powders and creams and prepared to apply them to her face. "If he likes me now, he'll love me after this!"

Hiccup spent nearly an hour looking all over Berk for his companion, but had no luck in finding him. 'Wait a minute.' Hiccup thought, 'I could have asked Ruffnut, she always knows where he is. Man, sometimes I'm just so dumb.' Hiccup quickly headed back towards the Thorston house to "interrogate" Ruffnut. He casually approached the front door, only to be surprised by the sound of what seemed like someone singing. Hiccup's curiosity grew as he slowly opened the door. What he saw was a girl with her back facing him, her hair running to the floor. Hiccup tried to be as calm as possible, "Ruffnut, do you know where Fishlegs might be? I need him for something- something important."

The girl slowly turned the side of her head, hiding most of her face from Hiccup, "He said he was going out to Raven's Point to get some samples and stuff."

The Haddock gave a lop-sided smile, "Thanks Ruff, you're the best!" He started to leave, only to be halted by Ruffnut's voice.

"Can I get your opinion on something, Hiccup?" she asked in a much softer voice than her usual tone.

"Sure, what about?" He replied.

"Well, um," she turned around towards Hiccup, "How do I look?"

Hiccup screamed at the top of his lungs for a moment, sounding like a little girl. Ruffnut had overdone everything; the powder to shadow her eyes was all over the top part of her face, the colored lip balm covered the lower half, and she had pierced her ears with earrings that didn't match. "I mean-" he tried to not to freak out again, "It looks- um, nice."

"I knew it, I look ugly don't I?" She grew very upset, "He'll never notice me, will he?"

"He likes you for who you are, Ruffnut. You don't need all this stuff, besides he already thinks you're pretty."

"He does?" She ceased her tears as the boy nodded, "You're just saying that aren't you? I just wanted him to like me a little more."

"I mean it Ruff, he talks about you too much for comfort sometimes. He really does like you. If you still feel that you need all this, I know someone who can help."

Ruffnut gave a half smile to the young lad, "I'd like that, but who?" Hiccup said nothing, but let a smile spread on his face as he rushed out the door.

"I'll be right back!" He said as his voiced trailed off. Two minutes later Hiccup came back dragging Astrid by her hand. "Found her. Astrid should be able to help you."

Astrid looked at Ruffnut for a moment, and then back at Hiccup. "Um, how can I help her exactly?"

"I've seen you do stuff like this before, you can help her put it on, if it's okay that is."

"What do you mean you've seen me do this before?" An embarrassed blush fell over her, "You've been watching me?"

"Well yeah- but, not that early in the morning." He said foolishly whilst nervously chuckling. His timid smile soon faded to a look of terror as Astrid's face boiled with rage.

"Get out!" she shouted, grabbing a hand axe from the wall and launching it at Hiccup, who successfully blocked it with the door. "Get out and don't come back!"

Hiccup heeded Astrid's words and ran as far as he could away from her before she could pick up something else to throw.

Astrid let out a frustrated groan, "What did I ever see in that guy?"

Ruffnut shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe you think he's cute, or maybe it was the pet dragon, or maybe you just like him. After all he liked you first."

"Ruffnut, you're wrong. He loved me first."

"Okay, okay, so I used the wrong word. In that case, maybe you just love him."

"Be it as it may, he better not show his face until I cool off. What boy in the right mind would do that? Peeping into the window of someone else's house?"

"You shouldn't judge people if you're guilty of the same thing. I've seen you watch him when he thought he needed to shave in the morning."

Astrid blushed yet again, "Ugh, don't remind me. Wait- who told you that?"

"I just said I've seen you watch him-"

Astrid immediately interrupted, "No, not that. The thing you said about not judging others?"

"Oh, that? Matthias showed it to me, it's one of the notes in this book he carries all the time. Except it said something really weird. It said "Judge not, lest you be judged". It didn't make any sense till Matthias told me what it meant."

Astrid gave a heavy, harsh sigh and calmly smiled. "Alright, he gets a break this time. But I better not catch him again."

"Well, maybe he just thought you were so beautiful that he wanted to catch you with your hair down, or without any face-paint."

Her eyes brightened a little, "Well, that's one surprise that I didn't want for my birthday. Let's hope his other ones are better. Anyway let's get you fixed up."

"Thanks, I can't thank you enough for this." The Thorston girl had lost the gruffness in her voice, and had facially become more delicate.

"Thank me when I actually get something done. Right now, let's get to work. Now , whose attention are you trying to get exactly?"

Ruffnut giggled a bit, "Fishlegs."

Astrid shuddered slightly,"Fishlegs? Ooh, this is gonna be tough."

"Why, what's wrong with Fishlegs?"

"Nothing, he just a little- oblivious to things."

"I know that, but that's why he's so cute and funny." She giggled some more, to the point of complete annoyance.

Astrid still disagreed, "He's a bit aloof and careless too. No offense."

"Well, you aren't interested in him, I am. Can we get on with this?"

"Alright, to business." She took a rag and coated it with one of the ointments. "He's gonna notice you for sure when I'm done here."

So far, Hiccup had ran through a great deal of forest. Not long after that he didn't even know where he was. He tried searching for some moss to find his way back, but to no avail. That was when he heard a deep, manly voice singing. It was coming from the other side of the row of bushes. He slowly pushed them aside, only to see his stout friend Fishlegs, who was singing and picking some Bluebell flowers.

"Fishlegs?" Hiccup asked carefully, "What are you doing here?"

Fishlegs tucked the flowers behind his back, "Oh- um, I'm- getting samples." He gave an awkward smile, as if he were hiding something.

"Bluebells are samples? Why don't you try collecting bugs, or eggs, or something?"

"Well, you see, Ruffnut doesn't like bugs, eggs, or things like that. She has a plus ten love for flowers."

"Ah, well, you're off to a bad start. She's allergic to Bluebells." Hiccup wisely objected, which led to Fishlegs instantly dropping the flowers.

"What am I going to do?" He hopelessly shouted, "I really want to show her that I care."

"Might I suggest the Black Geranium?" Hiccup raised both of his brows.

Fishlegs slowly smiled, "Yes, that would be perfect! And much more, I know exactly where they are! A whole nest of them!"

"Good, can you show me?"

"Sure. May I ask why?"

"Oh- um- well, its- it's Astrid's birthday, I wanted to get her some and surprise her."

"Ah, a motivation very similar to my own. Alright, come with me."

The two teenagers went towards the falls at the edge of Raven's Point to search for the elusive flower.

"They only grow in that one spot right there." Fishlegs said pointing to the rock shelf above the waterfall. Any optimism Hiccup once had was devoured by the great height of Odin Falls of Raven's Point. "Okay Hiccup, after you."

Hiccup turned pale white, "Why me?"

"You wanted the Geraniums. That and I've got this thing about heights."

"Fine, give me a boost." Hiccup's friend lifted him up onto the slippery terrace. He slowly crept along the rock wall attempting to keep his distance from the drop in front of him. He looked ahead to see what appeared to be a cave in the wall, with something growing outside of it. "Black Geraniums!" he shouted, "Fishlegs, I found them! I found them!"

"Good job Hiccup!" Fishlegs responded, "Just don't stand in front of the cave!"

"Why what's in there?" Hiccup asked whilst directly disobeying Fishlegs's warning. As he started to collect the flowers, he heard a low rumbling sound originating from the cave. "What's that? Fishlegs, talk to me! What is that?" Hiccup's question was answered as a jet of water hit him hard in the chest, sending him flying off the shelf.

"Hiccup!" Fishlegs shouted in horror as he watched his friend, "Think fast Fishlegs, think fast- that's it! Horrorcow! Here boy!" The bodacious Ingerman readied himself as his Gronckle approached. Fishlegs mounted onto Horrorcow and darted as fast as he could towards his rapidly descending companion. "Hang on buddy, I got you!" he yelled as he prepared to hover the Gronckle under the free-falling Hiccup.

Suddenly the unexpected happened. Various items began dropping out of Hiccup's bag and onto Fishlegs's head. One of those items included Hiccup's very heavy journal, which landed dead on target. Fishlegs was knocked out cold, Horrorcow became distracted and left, and all Hiccup hung onto were those Black Geraniums. Hiccup would have been instantaneously added to the ground had it not been for a flock of Terrors flying by. Hiccup quickly waved the flowers around to get the Terrors' attention. The swarm raced towards him and clutched onto various parts of his clothing. It was a slow trip, but there were just enough of the tiny beasts to haul him onto solid land. To show gratitude and keep the dragons from following him, Hiccup threw one of the Geraniums off the cliff-side. The Terrors immediately went after it and disappeared out of sight. Hiccup went to search for Fishlegs in hope that he had survived, only to find most of his belongings scattered along the way. He looked everywhere, but couldn't find his corpulent friend. That was when he heard the deep voice singing again, but this song sounded different. All he heard was a song that sounded like, "Hiccup if you're still alive, cut me down, it's way too high!" Hiccup looked up to see Fishlegs, who was hanging upside down in a tree by a leather strap on his jacket. Hiccup began laughing hysterically. "Quit hanging around and get down here!" he joked, still laughing.

"Oh sure," Fishlegs remarked, "In the meanwhile you probably want me to get you those Black-" Hiccup held up the flowers with a smile on his face, "Geraniums. You actually got them?"

"All of them except one." Hiccup answered, "Astrid's gonna look beautiful when I put some these on her dress."

"She has a dress? Never mind- just please, get me down from here!"

"Okay, okay, just relax. I'll have you down in a shake of a lamb's tail." Hiccup observed the great height of the tree, "Okay, make that two or three shakes."

"Why don't you go for four while you're at it? Get me down!"

Hiccup would have granted the boy's request, but he heard something. "Fishlegs, keep still! There's something here. Don't move or talk!" Hiccup walked over to where he heard rustling in the bushes. He looked over the side to find that there was nothing there but a rabbit. "Never mind Fishlegs, it's just a ra-" His speech was interrupted by a bolas that wrapped tightly around his legs, knocking him to the ground. Out of the bushes emerged several large, tan-colored men in dark robes. They had their faces covered with wraps that went around their heads and spoke to one another in a language Hiccup did not understand.

One of them grabbed Hiccup's jaw and moved his head. "He's small, but he'll do." the man said in his native tongue, "Take him to the ship, we make for Baal Bahram." The man next to him nodded and struck Hiccup hard in the head, making him black out. As they dragged him off, one man noticed the Geraniums Hiccup had dropped. The man crushed them with his foot and walked off with the others, not noticing that Fishlegs was still stuck in a tree.

Fishlegs shook his head, 'Not good! This is so not good! Who were those guys? And where are they going with Hiccup? And why am I still hanging here? Those guys are long gone by now. But what am I going to do? I have no idea what they were saying. Wait, Matthias traveled the world, he might know! It's worth the try!' He called out as loud as he could, "Help! Somebody! Anybody? Get me down! Please, help!" but it was no use. Hiccup was gone, he was out all alone, and even worse, both of their surprises were ruined.


	2. Chapter 2: Duran

Chapter 2: Duran

Snotlout had been out on a little gift-hunt of his own. His surprise for Astrid however, was "special". He had planned to get Astrid his favorite flower, rather than hers. His favorite flower was the Striped-Petaled Night Flower, known to Vikings as the "Skunk Orchid". This flower produced a very pungent scent even when slightly disturbed, but Snotlout thought it to be the perfect gift for Astrid on her birthday. He wandered high and low searching for the flowers. That was when Snotlout found something. It wasn't flowers, but a journal, Hiccup's personal journal. Beside it was the rest of his things and a bundle of crushed Black Geraniums. "That's funny," the boy said to himself, "Why would Hiccup leave all his stuff in the middle of nowhere?" Snotlout smiled and began calling for Hiccup in insulting ways, "Hey Fishbone! You dropped your book! Hey, Legless! Did you hear me? I got your journal! If you're not out in five minutes I'm reading it!"

"Don't you dare!" A random voice echoed, "That's- Hiccup's- journal!"

Snotlout's eyes widened "Wait, I know that voice! Fishlips, is that you calling?"

"That's Fishlegs! Yes it's me! Could you please get me down?"

"Where are you?" he asked.

Fishlegs had an angry moment, "Oh, look up stupid!"

Snotlout eyed the slowly swaying human pendulum. "There you are. What are you doing in a tree?"

"Just get me down, please!"

"Alright, just hang tight." he laughed to his own joke, "Get it? Hang tight?"

Fishlegs angrily began thrashing around, "I swear, if I had my hands and feet free, I'd-" His sentence was cut off when the strap broke and he fell out of the tree, bumping into random branches along the way. He finally reached the ground, landing face-down.

"You're welcome." Snotlout said with a slight grin.

Fishlegs pried his head out of the dirt, "What are you talking about? You didn't do anything!"

"Yes I did," Snotlout argued, "I got you out of the tree."

Fishlegs would have gladly continued the dispute, but was too distraught to carry on. "Snotlout, we have to get back to Berk right now. Hiccup's been- he's- he's been kidnapped!"

"What?" Snotlout almost collapsed. He may have been mean to Hiccup, but he still cared for his cousin. "By who?"

"I don't know, they spoke in another language. They mentioned something though, it might be a place. We've got to find Matthias."

"Before I went out, he was going over to the Thorston's. He's probably still there. Let's go!"

'Ruffnut.' Fishlegs thought. He didn't know if he'd could speak with such a lovely lady in front of him. But this was important, he would have to ignore her to get his point across. Because Fishlegs had somehow "lost" his Gronckle, the two resorted to sharing a seat on Fireworm, Snotlout's Monstrous Nightmare. After mounting on their dragon, they quickly took off towards Berk to search for Matthias.

"Voila!" Astrid shouted with glee as she observed her handiwork, "All finished!"

"Two things. First, what does "voila" even mean? Second, how do I look?"

"I don't know what it means. Matthias just says it all the time when he gets something done. As for looks, you look-"

"Beautiful." Matthias completed as he entered the room, "Absolutely beautiful."

Astrid ran up and hugged her older brother, "Where have you been all day?"

"I'll give you a hint, it begins with an S."

"Singing?"

"Nope."

"Shoveling?"

"Guess again."

"Shopping?"

"Close enough. Happy birthday, sis." he laughed, holding out an artistic and well-designed headband.

"A surprise?" She let out a giggle and embraced her brother yet again, "Thank you so much!"

He gently pried Astrid off, "You're welcome, I made it myself."

"Really? From what?" She asked curiously as she looked at it.

"Oh, nothing fancy." He lied as he hid the remains of one of Astrid's leather vests behind his back.

Astrid began to wonder, "Say, has Hiccup come back yet?"

Matthias scratched his head, "Why, has he gone somewhere?"

She blushed with embarrassment, "I kinda scared him out of the house, for certain reasons. He was going to get me some flowers, but I thought he might be back by now." Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "That's got to be him now." She walked over to the front door to open it, only to be surprised when an exhausted and soiled Fishlegs entered the house.

Matthias attempted to brace up Fishlegs so he could talk, "What happened to you?"

"I was up in a tree. I need to talk to all three of you right now. It's a matter of life and death!"

Ruffnut rose to her feet, "What's the matter?"

Fishlegs was stunned when he saw Ruffnut. She literally took his breath away with her newly found beauty. "Hic- Hiccup- um, Ruffnut? You look very-"

The eavesdropping Snotlout burst into the building and covered for his friend. "What he's trying to say is that somebody took Hiccup! He's been kidnapped!"

Astrid went hysterical, "What? What happened? My Hiccup, kidnapped? Did you see them? Where are they taking him?" only to be settled down by her brother.

Matthias made his inquiry, "Start from the top Fishlegs, what happened?"

"Well, Hiccup and I went to get some flowers for Astrid and Ruffnut. Some Black Geraniums to be exact."

"Go on."

"Hiccup got the flowers, but had a little accident. He got knocked off the falls. I tried to save him, but something fell out of his bag and hit my head. I didn't know what happened after that, but I remember waking up in a tree hanging upside down. Hiccup found me and was about to get me down, but he heard something. He went over to the bushes to check it out, but he didn't find anything. That was when a bolas wrapped around him and these guys came out and took him away."

"What did they look like? Anything distinctive?"

"Their robes were dark, and they had their faces covered with something that looked like a bandage. They didn't bear any markings or crests, they just talked in a strange language."

"Did you understand any of it?"

"No, I've never heard it before."

Matthias shook his head, "I don't know who they were, but one thing's for sure. We're gonna find Hiccup and bring him back." Astrid however was near the point of crying.

"Well, they did say one thing. It might be someone or something. It was something called Baal Bahram."

"Baal Bahram?" He sank into the chair next to him and ran his hand through his hair, "My God."

"What? What is it?" Astrid desperately asked.

"It's an Assyrian slave colony."

Fishlegs was unable to understand, "How do you know this place?"

"Because, I spent three years in it."

"And who are the Assyrians, exactly?"

"Really mean people. If we're going to save Hiccup, we have to leave right now."

"But, all we know is where they're going." Fishlegs protested, "If we wait until they reach the colony, it might be too late. We need to find out where they would stop for supplies or something."

"Did you see what direction their ship was anchored?"

"Hello? I was dangling from a tree! How did you expect me to watch them if I was hanging upside down with all the blood rushing to my head?"

"Oh, right. Can you take me to where he was captured?"

Fishlegs nodded, "Sure. We can get there in no time if we ride the dragons."

Matthias readily agreed and grabbed his sack of supplies, "Let's get going then."

All the teenagers went to mount onto their dragons. "Wait!" Astrid said, "What about our parents?"

Matthias shushed his sister, "They can't come with us. That many Vikings in a foreign country could start a war. If you're worried, tell Gobber we're going on a vacation or something."

"Alright, I'll take care of that. You go find out where they're going with Hiccup." She prepared to leave, but was halted by her brother.

"We'll find him Astrid, I promise."

"I know we will. The sooner we find him, the better."

"I'll meet you at Raven's Point." He said as he got on Toothless, "Don't take too long now!"

Astrid cut him short, "Will you just get going already?" Matthias nodded and shot into the air along with the other kids and their dragons as they traversed towards Raven's Point. Meanwhile Astrid went over to Gobber's shop to make up a story.

"Yer going for what now lass?" The rusty old Viking male asked while looking for one of his prosthetics.

"We're going on a trip for my birthday. We'll be gone for a few days probably. But I can promise that we'll all be back."

Gobber smiled and hurried Astrid along, "Alright then, off with you now. I'll give the message to your mum and dad."

"Thanks Gobber! I'll be back! Probably!" She immediately hopped onto Thorn, her Nadder, and soared into the sky.

Gobber attached one of his fake hands, "And I'll be here. Maybe."

At Raven's Point, Matthias had just finished inspecting the scene of the tragedy. "I don't get it." he said completely confused, "There's no sign of struggle or anything, just a few pairs of footprints. And most of those have already disappeared." Matthias then spotted something. "Wait, what's that?" He walked over to get a closer look. "Blood."

Astrid gasped a bit assuming that it belonged to Hiccup. Matthias stepped over and held some of it in his hand, "Something's not right." He walked to the bushes to find the one rabbit that was there before dead and still bleeding. "That's funny, why would they kill a ra-" He was cut short as he was snatched up into a net. Many voices began echoing around them, voices that sounded almost tribal.

"Sisi yao!" the voices shouted as several black men rose up armed with bows and spears, "Sisi yao! Kuja haraka, tuna yao!"

'I know that language." Matthias thought, 'Oh no, it can't be.' He quickly tried to speak to one of them, "Atto! Ni mimi, wala risasi!"

The tallest one of the group responded curiously, "Matthias? Ni kwamba wewe?"

"It's me Atto. Don't shoot, these people are my friends."

"My allegiance no longer lies with you, brother."

Astrid's eyes widened, "Brother?"

Matthias quickly explained, "Atto is my tribal brother. Not by blood, but by choice. What are you doing here?"

"Because," a thick-accented voice replied, "I'm up for a bit of sport, old friend. Let him down, Atto."

Atto reluctantly agreed, "Kata yake chini." The others quickly responded and let Matthias down and out of the trap.

"Hello Duran, you slimy son of a mud-sucking snake." Matthias greeted, "You could have at least bathed before showing your ugly face again."

"Well, aren't you the cheery one?" The Briton mocked.

"I see you're still wearing my birthday gift." Matthias gestured to the scar on Duran's cheek.

Duran smirked, rubbing the scar slowly, "Oh yes, I never take it off."

"What do you want from us?" Astrid spoke up.

Duran looked in her direction for a moment and grinned at her, "Well, since one is asking. It seems you're in a bit of a fix. Your friend-"

"Hiccup." she corrected.

"Right. Your friend Hiccup has been captured, and you have no idea in which direction his kidnappers went. You could use some help."

"I don't need your help, Duran!" Matthias snapped, "I remember the last time you did Snakehead and I a favor!"

"Ah, good for you. And where is your annoying friend by the way?"

"He's dead, thanks for asking. I'm surprised that you had nothing to do it."

"A pity, he actually knew how to fight. As for me, why do you insist on blaming me for everything? What did I ever do to you?"

"You betrayed your country, you let innocent people get slaughtered, you nearly got both me and Snakehead killed, and for what? A tiny sack of silver!"

"Ah ah ah," he objected, "thirty pieces exactly. Not a bad price if I say so myself."

"It didn't even last you one year, you traitor! You blew it on drinks and women!"

He reminisced the year that he wasted his payment,"Ah yes, but good liquor and good company it was." His remark was met with a fist to the face by a rampant Matthias. The fight would've have gone on, had the natives not trained their bows on Matthias's forehead. Duran pushed the young man off and stood up, "Look, I had nothing to do with your friend's death. For that I am sorry."

"Yeah, I bet you are." Matthias sneered.

"You know you can't find the boy on your own. You need me, mate."

Matthias winced, "Will you help me find Hiccup?"

Duran smiled and rubbed his fingers together, "For a price."

"What do you want seeing I have no money to offer?"

Duran shot a look over to Astrid, "She would suit my needs real well."

"I know what your "needs" are, Duran. You can't have my sister."

"And why not? I could take her right now and just kill you if I want. I'll tell you what, I'm feeling merciful today. I'll fight you for her. If you win, I rescue your friend and never return here again. If I win, I get the girl."

Astrid stepped in front of her brother, "Deal. But on one condition."

"And what might that be?"

"That you fight me instead of him."

Matthias pulled his sister aside, "Are you crazy? Duran's one of the deadliest swordsman in the known world!"

Astrid winked at her brother, "Sometimes you have to be crazy to win a fight."

"Please, be careful."

"You be careful," she walked back over to Duran, "Do we have a deal?"

"Tis a deal you have, miss. Prepare to defend yourself."

Atto called out with a loud voice, "Mapigano ya Haki!" The other African's followed suit and repeated his cries.

Fishlegs whispered over at Matthias, "What did he just say?"

"He's called for a Battle of Truth. Two people must fight in order to prove a point. Fortunately, this one is not to the death."

"Whew, that's a relief."

"Not really, he gets Astrid for himself if he wins."

"Oh."

"Hata kuanza!" Atto shouted, "Kupambana!" The others began chanting, "Kupambana! Kupambana! Kupambana!"

Astrid and Duran slowly circled each other as the chanting continued. Duran slowly drew his sword, and Astrid grabbed her axe off of Thorn's back.

"Your move." Duran taunted. Astrid rushed towards Duran and swung at his head, which was easily blocked. "Not good enough." He gloated as he kicked her away. Astrid tumbled to the ground for a second, but got right back up. She struck again, but with no success. She kept trying, swinging at his legs, his arms, and his neck. That was when she locked her axe handle with the blade of Duran's sword.

"Give up yet?" She goaded her opponent.

"I'm just getting started!" He leaped into the air over Astrid, landing behind her and whacking her back with the hilt of the sword he held. Duran whipped his leg under hers, knocking out her feet and causing her to drop her axe. Duran laughed a bit and pinned her to the ground. "Not bad," he said, "for a girl." Astrid just then gave Duran an unexpected surprise, a kneecap driven right into his groin. Duran's reaction was a high-pitched wheezing sound.

Astrid whispered into his ear, "How's that?" and threw Duran off of herself. Astrid quickly vaulted herself backwards and retrieved her weapon. Duran had not only recovered, but had become enraged. He charged at Astrid, raising his sword to try and take her head.

Matthias began shouting to get Astrid to move, "Astrid! Go, run! Get out of there!" but Astrid knew what she was doing. As Duran approached, Astrid ducked her head into his gut and flipped him over her shoulder. Duran landed flat on his back, and was met with an axe blade pressing against his throat when he attempted to stand.

Astrid made Duran eat his words right then and there,"What was that about girls?"

Duran looked over to Matthias, who had an amused look on his face. That was when Matthias joked, faking a British accent, "You lose, mate."


	3. Chapter 3: The Journey Begins

Chapter 3: The Journey Begins

After Duran had fully recovered, he had his men gather all of their things. He regretted the fact that not only could he not have Astrid, but he had to help Matthias as well. He had made a deal with a girl who wouldn't take no for an answer. He would find that missing boy, this "Hiccup", and then he would leave for good.

Astrid for the first time didn't seem concerned about Hiccup, instead she seemed more focused on Duran. "Matthias, who is this guy?" she asked, looking over to the marked English man who was busy packing supplies.

Matthias didn't hesitate to answer, "Duran is a convict, an escaped criminal actually."

Duran somehow stepped into the conversation, "I prefer the term "man on the run"."

Astrid was still curious, "How does he know you?"

"Well, remember how I mentioned about my time in Baal Bahram?"

"Yes."

"I got him out of there. He was sentenced to be hanged by the neck until dead, but he made me an offer I couldn't refuse at the time."

She raised an eyebrow, "What was the offer?"

"The "adventure of a lifetime", to search for the Holy Grail. I agreed to help him escape, and in return he would help me find the cup of Christ. I lost interest when I found and read the notes of Jesus and His disciples."

"Why? What was the matter?"

"There was nothing special about the cup. Any great power was found in Jesus Himself."

She grew even more curious, "Then why did you stick with him?"

"He still showed me the world to make up for it all, and he introduced me to my friends Atto and Snakehead."

"He knew Snakehead?"

"Yes. Snakehead was a lot like him. He was a liar and a coward, but something was different. He feared death, yet he was willing to give his life if he had to."

"Right." Duran interrupted, "This all very touching, but if we don't get moving soon mate, you can kiss your peg-legged friend goodbye."

Astrid became suspicious, "Wait a second, how did you know he only had one leg?"

"Well, I'm a-"

Matthias finished Duran's sentence, "Duran's a tracker, that's why he enlisted his help in the first place."

Duran quickly agreed, "Yes, you're quite right."

Astrid didn't seem to care about what Duran's profession was at the time, "Just help me find Hiccup, please."

"You have my word, I will find your friend." Duran held up his hand as if swearing an oath, "And yes, he'll be alive when I find him."

"So-" Astrid perked up her height to try and match Duran's, "Where do we go from here?"

"The slavers always stop at the docks at the base of Mount Ymir for resupply. And-" Duran glanced at Toothless with an intrigued look, "With some help from your dragons, we'll be waiting for them when they do."

Matthias shivered a bit, "Mount Ymir? No, we can't take any risks-"

Duran disrupted Matthias' sentence, "Oh come on old boy! You don't actually believe those legends, do you?"

Astrid didn't seem to understand, "What legends?"

Duran scoffed, "It was just a bunch of old wives' tales meant to keep their husbands away from the volcanoes if they ever got drunk. It was a legend that some sort of demon nested at the base of Mount Ymir, a demon that seemed to never stop growing. It killed men for pleasure, and kept the women captive for unknown reasons. But it's only myth. So, no worries."

Astrid remained optimistic in attitude, "Even if it is real, it's not going to lay a finger on any of us."

Matthias smiled, "Alright, let's get going then. Everyone mount up!"

Duran objected, "But, all I have is a boat! I can't keep up with these beasts! More than that, there's not enough of them to carry me and my men!"

"Let Toothless handle that." Matthias gestured to the Night Fury, who suddenly let out a high-pitched whistling sound. Suddenly out of nowhere came several more dragons, more than enough to carry all of Duran's African servants.

Duran seemed amused at the sight of so many massive reptiles, "I was about to suggest that."

"Sure you were." Matthias joked, "Now, everyone mount up! Atto, mlima juu."

Atto relayed the orders to the other tribesmen, "Sawa, kila mlima juu!"

The traveling party consisted of nearly twenty African warriors, not including Duran, Atto, and the Vikings of Berk. They all took off into the sky, tearing through the blanket of clouds and vanishing out of sight. It was only a matter of time now before they found Hiccup.

Meanwhile on-board the slave galley, known by it's "passengers" as the Golden Phoenix, Hiccup had regained consciousness and was brought before the captain of the vessel. Hiccup was taken to the captain because he had failed to maintain the rowing speed of the other prisoners due to his frail build.

"I trust that you slept well?" The captain chuckled as he ordered his guards to bring Hiccup forward.

Hiccup tried to jerk himself free, but it was no use."Whoever you are, I demand that you let me go right now!"

"Oh I assure you, you will be released in due time- if my master's conditions are met that is."

"What is it that you want exactly?"

"I want what every man wants; freedom from oppression, and from the oppressor. Personally, I am in this for the profit. My lord Ahriman wants someone in particular however. That is why you were captured."

"Why does this guy "Ahriman" want me?"

The captain let out a loud laugh, "He doesn't want you, he wants your friend. Your friend, Matthias. I would like to know where he is, and I think you can provide me the answer."

Hiccup reasoned within his own mind, 'I can't let them know anything about Matthias, they'll just kill me if I do tell them.' He gave a half-smile to the captain, "I don't know any Matthias, I don't even know who you're talking about."

"Ah, then perhaps I can freshen your memory a bit." He snapped his fingers. The guards tied rope around each of Hiccups wrists and then to the pillars in order to stretch out his arms. The guards then ripped open the back of Hiccup's shirt to reveal his shoulders and his spine.

"Please, I swear I don't know anything!"

"Oh, but you will when I'm through with you." The captain gestured to his bosun, "Five lashes." The bosun took a long, leather whip from his belt and drove it forward. Hiccup screamed out as the whip struck his back. "Tell me where he is."

Hiccup moaned, "I don't know, I swear!" The captain nodded to the bosun who struck Hiccup again with the whip.

"Tell me, and the pain will stop."

Hiccup muttered once again, "I said I don't know!" The whip came down again, marking Hiccup's back a third time.

The captain's patience grew thin, "Tell me!"

Hiccup yelled all the air out of his lungs, "I don't know!" A fourth mark was added to his back as he cried out in agonizing pain.

The bosun began to grow impatient himself, "Answer my master, you filthy dog!" and struck Hiccup for the fifth time.

Hiccup's answer remained the same after all the suffering, "Please, I don't know! You have my word! I don't know!"

The bosun prepared to give Hiccup another lashing, but was halted by the captain, "Perhaps the boy needs some time to think. Put him in the cage, he will remember soon enough." The captain heard a man call out that land had been sighted. A sinister look formed on his face, "He'd better." and he went up topside to answer the spotter.

Hiccup was cast into a damp, dark cell. Rats crept everywhere, and the only speck of light there was came through a grate in the ceiling. Hiccup tried to stand on his feet, but stumbled back to the floor. He looked up at the pale light shining down on him, "Astrid, I'm so sorry for all of this. All I wanted was to get you something special, and all I got was kidnapped. I just wish I could be with you right now."

A young man's voice echoed behind him, "Who's Astrid?"

Hiccup gasped and quickly turned around to see a young boy about his age who had a strangely dark complexion. "Who- who are you?"

"Please forgive me, it wasn't right to scare you. My name is Ardeshir, and I couldn't help but overhear your lamentations."

"Is there any way we can help?" another voice added as the man that followed it stepped into the light. The man was big, and very muscular.

Hiccup was impressed, "Who's he?"

Ardeshir answered with a proud smile, "This is my personal bodyguard Faridoon. It has been his sole purpose to protect me. We are both at your service if you wish."

Hiccup rubbed some of the bruises around his ribs, "If you want to help me, you can start by giving me some answers."

Ardeshir easily agreed, "Fair enough. Ask, and I will answer."

"Who is Ahriman?"

"He is the devil, the god of this earth, the prince of the air. Your friend Matthias might know him as Abaddon, Beelzebub, and he is also known as Satan."

"Matthias? How do you-"

"I don't, my father knew both your father and his. Well, that is- well you are Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, yes?"

Hiccup was shocked, "Yeah, that's me. But what does Matthias have to do with Ahriman?"

"I'm sure he can tell you, my job is to get you off this ship alive."

Hiccup was still unwilling, "How can I trust you?"

Ardeshir grinned a bit, "You can't, but you really don't have a choice. We're the only hope you have of seeing Astrid again. You do want to see her again, don't you?"

"Yes, I do."

"Very well then, we-" his speech was cut off by a large crashing sound as the ship shook. "We must have run aground. That probably means we've reached Mount Ymir already. I hope you're ready for a fight, Hiccup."

Hiccup's sarcasm was obvious to the other two prisoners, "Sure. Pain, love it."

"You need not worry about it too much," Ardeshir reassured, "the Golden Phoenix has a very small crew."

"Well, that's entirely different." Hiccup joked, "I bet I could take them on with one hand tied behind my back."

"A real shame," Faridoon added, "I was hoping for some glory on the battlefield."

"One problem," Hiccup uttered, "I don't know how to fight and even if I did, I can barely lift a weapon."

Ardeshir smacked his forehead, "You have got to be kidding me!"

"It's all right, Ardeshir. All you have to do Hiccup, is get off this ship. Get off it alive, and fast. Can you do that?" Hiccup nodded in agreement.

Ardeshir smiled yet again, "If it's a fight we're getting ourselves into, I'll need my swords."

Faridoon seemed intrigued by that request, "Leave that to me." He walked over to the main gate of the cell, "Excuse me, guard! Yes, you! Come here for a minute!" The one guard met up with Faridoon at the front of the cage. This guard just happened to be the one with the keys latched to his belt. "Would you like to hear something funny?" The guard stared at Faridoon with a confused look. Apparently, this man did not understand English. Suddenly Faridoon grabbed the guard's shirt and slammed his head against the bars, "Sorry, I'll have to tell you later." The guard was knocked unconscious and fell to the floor.

Hiccup smiled and rose to his feet, "Quick, get the keys!"

Faridoon ripped the keys off the guard's belt and opened the cell door. The three grabbed their effects from a large pile of contraband equipment and began searching for a way off of the ship. The only thing that could save them now, was a miracle.

As these events went on, the captain of the Golden Phoenix was addressing the crew in his language, "Men, we don't have much time. Grab the supplies we need so we can depart. Any one of you that is caught chatting with the women will receive ten lashes, along with a night in the cage. That is all. We leave for Baal Bahram in fifteen minutes." The sailors groaned and complained as they went out to gather food, water, and other said supplies for the rest of their trip. The crew of the Golden Phoenix was somewhat small, the ship being mostly driven by slaves. There were only about twenty-five actual Assyrian crew members.

"So, what do you think of Captain Merikh?" One sailor asked another whilst cramming fish into a basket.

The other sailor sort of smirked, "Eh, to be honest I prefer Captain Bahadur."

"I know what you mean. What captain in the right mind doesn't allow us to have some fun with the local ladies?"

"Not only that, but all he ever talks about is the will of that "thing" Ahriman."

"Yeah. I mean, come on! Why can't we just do our job instead of trying to work out a master plan to conquer the world made by some man born and raised from the bottomless pit?" The one sailor looked over to see the other was gone. The basket was still there, tipped on its side. "Well, I don't blame him. He probably went to find one of those girls. It's his execution."

In the blink of an eye, the mumbling seaman was grabbed and dragged into the bushes. Soon afterward, more sailors began disappearing or keeling over mysteriously.

The frustrated Captain Merikh went out to see what the commotion was amongst his crew. "What's going on here?" he shouted as he looked down to see the majority of his crew dead or missing, along with the people from the docks. "What in the name of Ahri-"

"Hello, Merikh." Duran said from behind, Nice to see you."

Merikh turned around to see the tracker with his sword drawn. "Ah, Duran. It's so good to see you held up your end of the bargain."

"Yes, it is." Duran thrust the blade deep into Merikh's belly, "Too bad you're not going to hold up yours."

Matthias had finally made it to the docks, only to see Duran killing the defenseless captain. He quickly ran up to Duran who had just wiped the blood off of his sword. He looked down at the corpse, "Was it necessary?"

Duran lied with a nod, "Unavoidable. Come on, the slaves' quarters are down below. I've got your back." Matthias started to head below deck, but was struck hard in the back by Duran, who held him captive and blade-point.

Hiccup, Ardeshir, and Faridoon had managed to exit the vessel through a small window on the port side. As they swam for the shore, the rest of the Africans save for Atto boarded the ship and prepared to set sail. The rest of the Vikings from Berk approached the docks, Astrid saw Hiccup rise out of of the water along with his two new friends.

"Hiccup!" she shouted as she started running towards him.

Hiccup raised his brow as he saw the frantic blonde angel racing to embrace him, "Astrid?"

Hiccup was instantly nudged in the arm by Ardeshir, "Well, go on, what are you waiting fo-" He let out a loud yell as an arrow pierced his shoulder. Faridoon caught the young boy as he fell to the ground.

Duran ran over and struck the archer that let the arrow loose, "Hold your fire! They are of no threat to us!"

Astrid looked up to see Duran standing next to an injured Matthias. "Duran! What are you doing?"

"I found who I've been looking for!" Duran gestured to Matthias.

"What do you mean? Hiccup's down here!"

"I can't believe it! You really are as stupid as your brother; to actually believe me!" He laughed loudly, "Look on the bright side, I promised to leave and never return, which is exactly what I'm going to do!" Duran poked Matthias in the back with his sword, "Do it!"

Matthias refused, "Never! I'll die first!"

Duran knew Matthias' weakness however, he gave orders to the same archer, "Lengo la msichana ya dhahabu." The archer obeyed and drew back his bow, which he had now aimed at Astrid. Matthias couldn't believe the game Duran was playing with his sister's life. Duran poked Matthias again, "Do it, or I'll make sure it goes right through her pretty little head!"

Matthias let loose a weak grunt and placed his hand on the deck of the ship. He began speaking a Germanic incantation, "Luft und Wasser, Erde und Feuer, nehmen Sie uns, unser Herz begehrt."

Astrid could hear Matthias muttering the magic words, "No! You've got to stop him!"

Matthias looked down at his sister one last time, "I'm sorry, Astrid." and the ship burst into a blinding flash of blue light.

The flash cleared, the ship was gone, and Ardeshir was badly hurt. Astrid fell to her knees, "Matthias? Matthias! Please, don't leave me again! Please!" she wept bitterly, only to become really mad. She started yelling up the sky, "What do You want from me? He trusted You, and You took him away from me!"

Hiccup walked over to his girlfriend to calm her down, "Astrid-" but Astrid just kept yelling, "Astrid!" He slapped her across the face to snap her out of it. Astrid literally just broke down in Hiccup's arms, full of tears and heartbroken pain.

"Where was He when Matthias needed Him? Why did He just give up on my brother?"

"He hasn't given up, Astrid. I read those notes too. He said "I will never leave you nor forsake you". He isn't giving up, and neither am I. You need to just trust Him. Don't lean on your own understanding."

"But how can I even trust Him? How do I trust Him?"

"With all your heart, Astrid. With all your heart. He'll do the rest."

She softly stopped her crying, "Okay, okay. But, what are we going to do?"

Fishlegs stepped into the moment to make a suggestion, "Duran's actions make no real sense to me, unless-"

"Unless what?" Hiccup asked.

"Unless- unless he's taking Matthias to Baal Bahram."

Snotlout seemed a little squeamish, "You mean, we still gotta go to that hole anyway?"

Fishlegs nodded, "That's my best guess."

Ruffnut smiled regardless of the poor circumstances, "If it means kicking butt and taking names, I'm in."

"It will take- a while." Ardeshir wheezed, "the only- remaining village- is on the- other side- of the island. You'll- have to go- through the valley. It's a- a two day walk, and- the dragons are- exhausted."

Hiccup nodded his head, "Then we'll do what we have to do." and placed Ardeshir on a nearby cart. "It's getting dark, we'll camp here for tonight. Snotlout, get some wood to build a fire. Fishlegs, can you find me some dog-weed?"

"Sure, but what for?"

"To sterilize his wound." He gestured to Ardeshir, who was gasping for breath.

"I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Great." Hiccup looked over to the young Hofferson girl, "Astrid, I want you to get some rest. You've had it very rough today. I'm going to get your brother back, I just really wish your birthday could have gone better."

Astrid prepared to punch Hiccup's arm, but was too tired to think up any smart remarks, "The best gift on my birthday is knowing that you're alright." She kissed Hiccup softly and slowly withdrew herself, "And I have more than I could ever want knowing that you're going to bring my brother back."

"I promise Astrid, I'll bring him back."

"Thank you." Hiccup got up and started to leave, "Hiccup? Can I ask you something?"

"Anything." He smiled.

"Do you love me?"

Hiccup walked back, and swept Astrid into a long, heart-warming kiss, "Yes, I do."

She smiled back, "Then, I love you too."

Hiccup blushed vigorously and lost his breath, "Well, um- it's getting late. You best get some sleep."

"Yes- I should." Astrid agreed, "Well, good night Hiccup."

"Good night, Astrid." Hiccup replied as he walked away from Astrid and towards the campfire that Snotlout had started. The journey to save Hiccup had finally ended. The real journey was about to begin.


	4. Chapter 4: The Ymir

Chapter 4: The Ymir

"Hiccup! I got the dog-weed!" Fishlegs called, carrying a large bundle of plants in his arms.

Hiccup let out a sigh of relief, "Good! Bring it here!"

Fishlegs dropped the bundle at Hiccup's feet, "How is he?"

Hiccup picked up some of the dog-weed and began heating it over the fire, "Not good. If I can't heat the weed up fast enough, we could lose him."

"Is there anything else I can do?" Fishlegs gestured with his hands.

"Yes, take the arrow out of his shoulder. But be careful, you'll need to keep your hands firm and quickly pull it out. Don't jerk it out though, you could tear something."

Fishlegs shivered, "Okay, but no promises."

"Relax Fishlegs, you should get the arrow out easily. Make sure to break off one end of the arrow first."

Fishlegs exhaled slowly as he snapped off the back end of the arrow shaft. "Okay, now what?"

Hiccup continued his instructions, "Grab the other end, pull firmly on it. It should come out." Hiccup grabbed some rope that he found inside the cart and placed it between Ardeshir's teeth, "I'm sorry, but this is going to hurt."

"It hurts enough as it is." Ardeshir grunted.

"Alright, here it goes. Three, two, one." Fishlegs yanked at the arrow as hard as he could. The rope did little to silence Ardeshir's screams as the shaft was removed from his shoulder. Fishlegs let out a nervous laugh, followed by a loud sigh as he nearly fell backwards.

Hiccup patted Fishlegs' back, "Not bad, not bad at all. Alright, Fishlegs I'll need your helmet."

"What? What for?"

"To catch the oil from the dog-weed."

Fishlegs took off his helmet and held it in his hands for a moment, "I've worn this practically since the day I was born." He sighed and handed it over to Hiccup.

"Don't worry," Hiccup said with a positive grin, "It washes out easily and doesn't stain."

"Yeah, but the helmet will rust if I wash it out." Fishlegs muttered under his breath as he stepped back.

Hiccup got a little excited as the oil pooled into Fishlegs' helmet. "Come on, just a little more!" he anxiously whispered to himself, "I got it! Ruffnut, I need you for a sec!"

Ruffnut walked over to Hiccup, "Sure thing, what do you need?" To her surprise, Hiccup tore one of the leaves of fabric off her skirt, "Hey! What are you doing?"

Hiccup quickly defended himself, "I needed some cloth to soak in the oil."

"My brother made me this skirt! Why didn't you just take some fabric from the shop?" She motioned her hand over to the abandoned Tailor's store.

"Oh-" Hiccup looked over to see the Tailor's shop stocked full of clothing, "Right."

"It's okay Ruff, I'll make you a new one." Fishlegs smiled, offering his arm.

She interlocked her arm with his and smiled back, "I'd like that, my brother doesn't sew that good anyways." The couple walked off towards the shop as Hiccup dabbed the piece of Ruffnut's skirt in the dog-weed oil. Hiccup then prepared to press it against Ardeshir's shoulder, "I'm really sorry, but it's going to hu-"

"Just shut up and do it!" Ardeshir snarled, wincing as sweat from his fever mixed with his tears from the pain. Hiccup nodded and put the cloth into the arrow wound. The pain magnified itself, causing Ardeshir to pass out.

Snotlout gazed at the unconscious teenager, and then glared at Hiccup, "Nice job, genius! You killed him!"

"No I didn't!" Hiccup argued, "I just- er- knocked him out."

"So he is dead, just not permanently." Snotlout queried.

Hiccup agreed, "Pretty much, yeah. But look on the bright side, at least the wound won't get infected."

"True, true." Snotlout walked over to pick Ardeshir up, "Can we move him now?"

"Yes, just try to keep him level."

Snotlout carried Ardeshir over to a thick fur blanket that Hiccup had laid on the ground. "Now what?"

"I'm not finished with him yet. The dog-weed will hold him till morning, but I need minerals to speed the healing process. They should be mostly at the base of the volcano."

Snotlout slung his sack of supplies over his shoulder, "Then let's go! It'll be light soon, and Matthias is probably already at the colony by now!"

"We'll need more than just you and me. I don't trust this place. Ruffnut and Fishlegs are busy, and I think Tuffnut stayed home. That leaves Atto, Astrid and Faridoon."

Snotlout nodded and nudged Hiccup in the elbow a bit, "You best go get them then, will we need anything to take with us?"

"Only some bags for the minerals, and I also suggest bringing our weapons."

"Alright then, I'll grab the stuff. You go get the others."

Hiccup obeyed and left to recruit the other three as Snotlout grabbed his hammer along with a weapon for Hiccup. Snotlout knew Hiccup couldn't lift much, so he packed him a small dagger.

In no time at all, Hiccup had rounded up Atto and Faridoon and made his way towards Astrid. Hiccup eyed the sleeping angel as she lay there with her head against a rock. "Astrid?"

The girl was obviously dreaming judging from her reaction to Hiccup's voice, "Good morning, Hiccup."

"Will you do something for me?" Hiccup asked, hoping for a response.

A smile formed on her unconscious face, "Anything for you."

"Good," Hiccup said with enthusiasm as he threw a heavy sack on her chest, "I need you to carry this."

The blonde immediately woke up, only to drive her leg into Hiccup's ankle, "That's for ruining a good dream!"

Hiccup struggled to get back on his feet, "I didn't mean to."

Astrid stood up and slung the sack over her shoulder, "Let's just get it over with!" She led the way as Faridoon and Snotlout followed.

Atto on the other hand lingered with Hiccup for a moment, "Next time, you might want to try flowers." He let out a laugh and walked off with the others.

"I did, once." Hiccup muttered as he grabbed the supplies that Snotlout had left at his feet.

The small party searched all around the base of the mountain only to find; nothing, not one grain of minerals, no deposits, nothing.

"I don't get it," Hiccup scratched his head, "There are usually minerals at the base of a volcano."

Snotlout mocked, "Well apparently not here, smart guy! Now we can't save Astrid's new boyfriend!"

Astrid glared at the greasy viking teen, "He's not my-"

"Don't deny it! I've seen you looking at him!"

Hiccup turned pale, "Astrid, have you-"

Astrid immediately interrupted, "It's not my fault! I just- I- I've never seen someone like him."

"Ha! I knew it!" Snotlout laughed as he turned to Hiccup, "Tough luck Legless, I guess you're just gonna have to find a new gir-" The Jorgenson boy failed to finish due to Astrid's fist being driven into his stomach.

Astrid looked at the young Haddock who, in retrospect, appeared to shed a few tears, "You know what I'm talking about, Hiccup. He looks just like the men back at the port. I'm afraid-"

"You're afraid that he'll betray us just like Duran." Hiccup finished.

"Well, yes. I mean- well- how can we trust him? How do we know that he's not one of those Assyrian slavers?"

"Because he's from Persia." Hiccup answered, arms folded across his chest.

"From where?" Astrid raised her brow.

"Persia, it's a massive empire about two hundred miles away from Baal Bahram. Ardeshir was trying to find and arrest this guy named Ahriman, but he was kidnapped by the slavers. I think they were going to use him to ransom the king."

"But- why?" Astrid asked.

"Ardeshir is the youngest of nine sons. Those men are sons of the king of the Persian Empire."

"So that makes him a-"

"A prince." Hiccup completed, "If you don't believe me, you can look at the medallion around his neck when we get back."

Snotlout was still trying to get over Astrid's sucker punch, "Can we take a break, I feel like I'm gonna throw up."

"It serves you right for talking to me that way!" Astrid snapped, she sighed and nodded her head. "Alright, five minutes everyone."

"Thank you so much!" Snotlout bellowed with sarcasm as he leaned against a rock wall, "Boy I'll tell you, that girl knows how to pun-" Snotlout was cut off by a loud cracking sound. "What was that? Whatever it was, I didn't-"

"Shh! Don't move!" Hiccup whispered loudly.

"Snotlout, whatever you're leaning on, it's very thin and it's breaking." Astrid added.

Snotlout seemed ignorant of his friends' warnings, "Oh come on, it can't be that bad! All I have to do is stop-" Suddenly a portion of the rock wall shattered, and Snotlout fell through the resulting hole in the hillside.

"Snotlout!" Hiccup called after his cousin, but there was no answer. Hiccup climbed into the hole and prepared to send himself through the tunnel, "Come on, let's go!"

"Hiccup, you don't know what's down there!" Astrid pleaded.

"You're right, I don't. But I'm not leaving my cousin to die, especially not in some dark pit! Now are you coming with me or not?"

Astrid climbed into the hole as Hiccup slid down through the tunnel. Atto and Faridoon soon followed closely behind as Astrid and Hiccup rapidly slipped through tube-shaped pathway. Suddenly Hiccup saw a light radiating from the end of the tunnel, a light that was growing very fast. "Brace yourselves!" Hiccup shouted as he put his arms and legs together. One-by-one the adventurers shot out of the opening, all of them landing in a shallow creek.

Astrid slowly opened her eyes as she regained her consciousness. She had washed onto dry land right next to Hiccup, who was busy pumping the water out of Snotlout's body. "Hiccup?" She rose to her feet, "Where are we? Is Snotlout-"

"I don't know," Hiccup answered, "All I can do is pump and it's not doing anything."

"Perhaps I can be of some assistance." Faridoon said as he gently pushed Hiccup aside. He picked up his large foot and drove it right down on Snotlout's chest. A bunch of water gushed out of Snotlout's mouth as he hacked and gasped for air.

"Snotlout!" Hiccup shouted as he attempted to hug the bulky young Viking, only to be shoved away.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm alright." Snotlout grumbled. He looked up at Faridoon, "Thanks."

"It is both an honor and a privilege." Faridoon responded.

"Don't scare us like that again." Astrid said as she gave Snotlout a light kiss on the forehead.

Snotlout grinned, "Keep it up, I like it."

Astrid made a quick comeback, "Sorry, it's a one-time thing."

Atto went ahead of the group to scout out their location. He slowly surveyed the canyon walls surrounding them, "I know this place, I have seen it before."  
"Where are we?" Astrid asked while salvaging her equipment.

Atto chuckled, "Look behind you."

Astrid and Hiccup obeyed, only to turn and see a massive mountain in front of them.

"The base of Mount Ymir." Astrid uttered, "But I thought-"

"This is the creek bed at the actual foot of the mountain. I saw it from a distance once when I was searching for signs of the other village. I found something else that might interest you, Hiccup."

"What is it?" Hiccup asked curiously. All Atto did was point over towards the base of the volcano. There was a massive pile of a crystalline substance. Hiccup immediately rushed over to get a closer look. In no time at all, Hiccup and the others were standing right beside the pale yellow mound. Hiccup scooped up a small sample in his hand. The substance was like a fine yellow dust, more like a glassy sand. Hiccup took one sniff of the mineral, only to begin coughing and hacking. "Sulfur." He whispered to himself, "What's it doing all piled up like this?"

"Mineral deposits don't come out in neat stacks." Faridoon said whilst scrutinizing the knoll, "Someone put this here."

"Or something." Astrid added.

Hiccup laughed a bit, "You actually think those legends are true?" Just then a loud shriek was heard, unlike anything man had ever heard before. Hiccup's face grew very pale, "What- was that?"

"It came from over there." Astrid gestured to a cave leading into the base of the volcano. Another roar emitted from the cavern's mouth.

"Quick, hide!" Atto shouted as he too ran for cover. The rest of the gang ducked behind a mound of dirt about five or ten feet away from the pile of sulfur.

"Astrid, take a look. Can you see anything?" Hiccup whispered. Astrid did so, only to see a creature step out of the darkness of the cave. She quickly ducked her head down as the creature proceeded to walk toward the sulfur deposit. The beast was fairly tall, around six feet at least. It was like a serpent with a sharp, two edged tail. Its head was that of a monster, with teeth sharp enough to cleave a man's flesh. The torso and legs were that of a human being, except coarse and scaly. Its arms were thick and muscular, each with hands armed with a set of three clawed fingers. The animal approached the pile of sulfur, scooped some of it into its hand, and started to eat it.

Astrid slowly rose just enough to get a good look at the creature. "What is that thing?" she uttered quietly, "It's- it's- a dragon."

Hiccup also rose to take a look, "No, it's a man."

Faridoon slowly drew his sword, "Well whatever it is, I'm going to kill it! Who's with me?"

Astrid quickly pushed Faridoon down, "Shh! It doesn't know we're here!"

Unfortunately, the creature was not as dumb as Astrid hoped it to be. It took one whiff of the air and let out an angry screech.

Faridoon gave a sharp stare at Astrid, "Now it does. I hope one of you has a plan."

Astrid quickly asked Hiccup, "Is there any way out of here?"

Hiccup shook his head, "Only a way in."

"Great- we're stuck behind a stack of dirt practically waiting for that 'thing' to come over here and kill us!" Astrid caught herself, "Hey, where's Atto?" Astrid slowly looked over to see Atto creeping up behind the animal. Astrid wanted to say something, but it was too late. Atto leaped onto the beast's back, attempting to kill it with his knife. The creature began thrashing about to try and throw Atto off with no success. Atto drove his knife deep into the monster's chest, but the creature kept moving. Soon enough it grabbed Atto off his back and held him in the air by his throat.

Atto struggled to free himself, ultimately giving up, "Do with me as you will, demon! I do not fear you!" He spat into the creature's face. The creature retorted with a low growl and broke Atto's neck in one swift jerking of its arm.

"Atto!" Hiccup called out as he stood up. The creature then fixed his eyes on the young Viking and his friends. Casting Atto aside and pulling the dagger out of its flesh, the devilish reptile collapsed for a moment. It cried out with a sound that would curdle a man's blood, and instantaneously began to change. Its claws grew longer and sharper, and the rest of the creature nearly doubled in size.

"Is it just me," Hiccup asked, "Or did that thing just get bigger?"

A chill ran up and down Faridoon's spine, "I'm hoping it's just you!"

Snotlout became desperate for a plan, "Got any ideas?"

Hiccup couldn't seem to make up his mind. It was either run and get cornered, or stay and fight to the death. Suddenly, something strange happened. Out of nowhere a dark blur tackled the creature to the ground, resulting in a cloud of dust.

"Was that-" Hiccups eyes nearly left their sockets, "Oh no- Toothless!"

The dust faded away to reveal the Night Fury aggressively wrestling with the demon. Both of them were using their share of tooth-and-claw attacks, but the creature had one strong advantage; hands. It immediately grabbed Toothless by his neck and pinned him down to strangle him. The beast struck Toothless hard with its fist, and began to grip his throat even tighter. That was when Toothless remembered his one 'gift'. He whipped the creature in the face with his tail and instantly gained the upper hand. Toothless then climbed on top of the creature, and prepared to claw at its heart. The creature however, in an act of desperation sank its fangs into Toothless' leg. The dragon let out a loud cry as he was thrown off by the monster. Toothless failed to get up and face his nemesis, who was now charging at a frightening speed.

Finally, Toothless had had enough. He opened his mouth, releasing a burst of blistering blue flame at the beast. The creature was knocked on its back, stunned by the shock of the fireball. Toothless regained enough of his strength to pounce the creature yet again, only this time he went for the kill. Toothless was a Night Fury, meaning he never missed a shot and never would. He filled his lungs up with more gas than he had ever done before, and sparked the cloud into an inferno. The flash was so bright, that the Vikings and the Persian had to look away.

When the smoke cleared, Hiccup turned back to see the charred remains of the infernal creature slowly smoldering. He let out a sigh of relief for a moment, but something wasn't right, "Toothless? Toothless? Toothless, answer me! Where are you? Come on buddy, say something!" There was no answer. Hiccup collapsed and placed his face in his hands , "I did this." he shook his head, "I'm so sorry, Toothless."

That was when Hiccup heard a moaning sound, a sound that appeared to be coming from the creature, "It can't be-" the beast slowly began to move, "That's impossible!" Hiccup however was right, it was impossible. The body of the creature flopped over to one side, revealing an injured Night Fury beneath it. "Toothless!" Hiccup shouted with tears in his eyes as he ran over to embrace his dragon. "You scared me half to death!" Hiccup cried, "Thanks." The reptile responded by playfully licking the side of Hiccup's face. Just then more chilling screams emitted from the mouth of the cave, even more frightening than before. "Alright, let's get out of here! Can you take us back up, bud?" The dragon nodded and let out another whistle to alert the other dragons. Toothless might have been too late however, as another one of those creatures emerged from the cave, soon to be followed by another- and yet another.

"Where are they?" Astrid shouted, panicking slightly.

As the monsters closed in, it seemed that the end was near. That was, till the first creature was blown away. Out of thick clouds soared- of all people, Fishlegs and Ruffnut on their dragons, followed by Thorn and Fireworm. The other beasts scattered at the sight and sound of the many dragons, fleeing in every direction.

"Boy, are you guys a sight for sore eyes." Hiccup sighed with relief as Fishlegs and Ruffnut landed, "How did you know where to find us?"

"We didn't." Fishlegs answered, "We were going to fly around a little when all of a sudden our dragons acted up on us and drove us down here."

Astrid tried to smile at her friends, "Well, it's good that you two got here when you did. Most of us barely got out of this alive."

Ruffnut rose her brow, "Most of us?"

Astrid responded with a wince and shot a look over to Atto's dead body. "He didn't make it."

Fishlegs attempted to hide his grief, "I was just starting to like that guy."

"There's nothing we can do for him now." Hiccup interrupted, "We've got to keep moving. I've still got to find Ardeshir some minerals."

"Don't bother," Fishlegs replied, "He healed a lot faster than I thought. You wouldn't even know he was hurt in the first place."

As soon as Hiccup heard this, he lost it. He began angrily kicking rocks into the nearby stream, only to trip on his prosthetic leg. "We came down here, all for nothing! And now, Atto's dead because of me!"

Astrid placed her hand on Hiccup's shoulder. Her touch was soft, gentle, and very soothing. "Atto knew the risks better than any of us, Hiccup. You can't blame yourself for that. You need to think for a moment. What would Atto want you to do if he were still alive?"

Hiccup looked up at that heavenly girl and said, "He would want me to move on. We have a mission, and that's to bring Matthias home." He slowly got back on his feet, "But right now, let's go find that village. Where is Ardeshir, anyway?"

Ruffnut shrugged and glared over to Fishlegs, who was trying his hardest to conjure up an answer.

"You mean you didn't bring him with you?" Hiccup asked hysterically.

That was when a scream was heard, like that of a young child. The gang looked over towards the one hole in the hillside, only to see a young Persian prince shoot out of it. The vikings fished him out of the creek and onto dry land. Faridoon quickly knelt beside his master, "Ardeshir? Ardeshir? Your majesty, please say something!"

` Ardeshir peeled open his eyes inch by inch. His response to Faridoon's quiry was a light, unnerved laugh, "That was quite a ride."

Faridoon returned with an even louder laughter, "Let's get you on your feet my friend!"

"Alright Vikings," Hiccup started in on one of his dramatic moments, "Salvage what you can, we're heading out as soon as possible."

"Do you think those things will come back?" Astrid wondered.

"Nah, after what we pulled off." Ruffnut boasted, "Not a chance."

"What do you think they were?"

Strangely, Faridoon trembled at that moment, "I don't know, but I have a feeling I know who sent them."

Astrid seemed a little scared herself for a minute. She asked curiously, "Who?" She would find out soon enough.


End file.
